Mechanicville man expected to spend nine years in jail for burglarizing Saratoga County homes

BALLSTON SPA -- A man who burglarized three houses in three Saratoga County communities is expected to be sentenced to nearly a decade behind bars.

Michael J. Torturo, 28, of Burrello Court in Mechanicville pleaded guilty last week to three counts of second-degree burglary, violent felonies, in a plea deal that is expected to result in a nine-year state prison sentence and five years of post-release supervision.

The burglaries in Halfmoon, Greenfield and Saratoga Springs took place in May.

Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III said Torturo sold the electronics, jewelry and other items he stole to fuel a heroin addiction.

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"He will get treatment when he is incarcerated and will have five years of post-release supervision with drug treatment as a component," Murphy said.

No one was at home when the three houses were burglarized, but Murphy said victims of burglaries, even when they aren't home when the crime occurs, respond just like victims of violent crime do.

"Your home is supposed to be a safe haven -- Torturo violated that space," Murphy said. "We need to make sure that Torturo doesn't have an opportunity to do this again and learns from his criminal conduct; a sentence of nine years is an appropriate period for him to do that."